Against The Odds
Against The Odds
Senna Fisher
Published by
Kenaz Publications at Smashwords
Copyright 2013 Senna Fisher
Discover other titles by Senna Fisher at
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In this series:
Book 1: Against the Odds
Book 2: Always at Odds
Book 3: Cheating the Odds
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*****
Tables of Contents
*****
Felicia looked around her as she walked
in the Ferncliff Forest. Her stride was
hesitant and afraid. It was so dark in the forest that she was
startled by the rustling noises of the leaves blowing softly in the
wind around her. Her torch composed murky, ominous shadows against
the darkness of the night, which captured her vivid imagination.
She shivered as she felt a cool breeze whisk through her
shawl.
Then she heard the slow, intense flapping of wings moving
towards her, just a few paces behind
her. She looked around
and saw nothing.
“
Olivia, is that you?”
There was no reply, so she walked faster, bumping into
shrubs and roots. She got to the clearing and was consoled by the
clean, fresh air of the openness. She swung her torch around
t
o see if anybody was there, but saw nothing except the
muffled silence of the night air. She relaxed slightly, thinking
she had allowed her imagination to run away with her.
Okay I am
alright.
Where is Olivia
? She was to meet Olivia here at
the clearing at midnight. It was fifteen minutes passed midnight
already.
Felicia had been late because her
husband, Samuel, had taken so long to fall off to sleep. She had
rushed here, hoping Olivia would wait for her. Olivia did not seem
like a patient woman and might have already left. She was not sure
if she was disappointed or relieved. If Olivia had already left,
she would not need to go through with it.
But if she is still on
her way,
she sighed deeply
. I am going to do it.
Felicia
was unsure what to do next. She had come this far, she reasoned to
herself, so there was really no harm in waiting a bit.
Fine, I
will wait for half an hour, then leave. But I need to relax because
every sound is giving me the creeps here.
She took a deep
breath and closed her eyes. She jerked suddenly when she realized
she was not alone. There was definitely something in the forest.
She felt she was being watched, peered at. She casts her eyes
suspiciously across the bushes around her, hoping to identify the
source of her suspicion.
She turned around
and jumped when she heard the
cold, harsh voice behind her.
“
Well, you took your time, didn’t you?”
Olivia
was standing directly behind her, so close that she could feel her
breathing into the nape of her neck.
“Olivia, you gave me such a fright! I did not hear you
coming. I am so
sorry I am late, but...”
“
No matter, let’s get to work. I don’t have the whole night.
Come.”
Felicia felt the cold, dry hand grab her. She followed
Olivia and as they walked, she realized that she had made a
mistake. She should not be here. She should be
at home with
her husband and her two-year old daughter. She had been motivated
by anger and jealousy, and now, finding herself in the forest at
midnight with a black witch, she was sure she should just call it
off. She realized she had been wrong to come here tonight,
particularly as she was scared of the Olivia she saw now. She
looked different now with her long black dress and no shoes, her
green eyes gleaming dangerously in the moonlight. Her voice had a
menacing tone which she had not detected when she had met Olivia in
town. She had been a soft-spoken woman with a pale green dress,
which had made her eyes light up beautifully when she
smiled.
Olivia stopped suddenly.
“Sit down there while I prepare the
ritual.”
Felicia sat obediently and Olivia disappeared into one of
the bushes.
It is odd that she never seems to make a sound as she
walks,
Felicia
reflected. Olivia emerged from the bushes carrying a bag filled
with herbs and black candles. She placed the candles in a circle
around both of them and lit them. She moved from candle to candle,
sprinkling some of the herbs, while she chanted a string of words
Felicia did not recognise. One giant candle was placed in the
middle of the circle, facing
both of them. Felicia felt the
gravity of the ritual and its dark force closing in on her. She
wanted to say something, to stop the ritual, but Olivia seemed
unaware of her presence. Felicia cleared her throat, but Olivia
glared her into silence, her eyes dark and hostile and her lips
pursed tightly in disapproval. She pulled out the lock of dark
hair. She held it over the flame and chanted:
Winds of the North, East, South and West
Call to my behest
The Angel of Darkness, Angel of Pain
That he may serve my purpose once again.
Felicia
felt that cool breeze again and Olivia paused for a
while.
Angel of Darkness, Angel of Pain
Thank you for your presence once again.
Give me your power
So that I can shower
Pain and suffering to young Portia McGuire.
Let her beauty attract much desire
That burns like a flame in a fire.
That such desire be turned away in fear and pain
That she will not know if she is sane.
Let her beauty be known to all
Who in time will turn and fall
Away from her in fright
At her beautiful sight.
Angel of Darkness, Angel of Pain
Increase her pain
With a binding of all the allies and runt
Born of Portia McGuire, to bear the brunt.
Let this spell be so bound
To invoke the evil sight and sound
Of The Darkness which will give no love, joy or
celebrations
to all the allies and runt
born of Portia McGuire for many generations.
Let this spell be unbound and apart taken
Only by the energy of the power of love which remains
unshaken.
Let its power to drained and extracted
Only by the power of two Protectors, together
contracted
Winds of the North, East, South and West
Grant to me my request
So mote it be.
Olivia took the
lock of hair and burnt it in the
flame. It sizzled and struggled against the engulfing hunger of the
flame, but Olivia’s fingers held firm until all the hair was burnt.
There was a strong stench of hair and herbs which clung in
determination to the air as she spoke to Felicia.
“
Now there. It is done. Portia will never have your husband or
any other man.”
“
I don’t know. Olivia, can you reverse it? It seems a bit
harsh.”
“No, we can do nothing now. This was your desire. You came
to me and pleaded with
me to stop her and that is what I
have done. Nothing more can be done. Go back to your
husband.”
She
turned and collected her bag and walked off into the
bushes.
Felicia stumbled out of the forest, frightened by the
suggestive sounds of the night. She was sure there was something
following her home, but she saw nothing
except the darkness of the night. She was also
frightened by what she and Olivia had done. What had she done? She
had been completely angry when she had approached Olivia for help
to magically keep her husband from other women, especially the
handsome Portia. Now Olivia was talking about
generations
of pain for Portia? She shrugged, telling
herself that the idea was ridiculous and it was nothing more than
Olivia being dramatic for her benefit. She got home and could not
sleep, consumed by guilt for what she had done to her friend
Portia.
For two weeks she tried to find Olivia to reverse
the
spell, but she seemed to have vanished. Felicia
comforted herself with the thought that it was not real
.
It is only magic after all. Nothing can possibly
happen.
She chided
herself for being silly about the whole thing, and convinced
herself that nothing really happened out there. She was fortified
in this belief when she saw Portia that week.
Feeling a
little worried and guilty, she had gone to visit Portia to check if
everything was fine. She had been greatly relieved to see that
Portia was still as vivid and beautiful as ever, laughing joyfully
as she always did. Felicia felt much better and dismissed thoughts
of Olivia from her mind.
~ ~ ~
~
Olivia walked off into the forest with her helper, The
Darkness. Its wings flapped overhead as she walked and she smiled
gleefully. She had waited a long time to perform that spell. It had
been in her family for generations and she had never found a
willing participant to work with her. She had
travelled far and wide, hoping to find the
right person to submit to the spell. Felicia, with her naive
insecurities about her wealthy and dashingly handsome husband, had
been easy to convince, especially because
her friend Portia
was so vibrant and beautiful, with an open friendliness that had
surprised Olivia when she met her. It had not been difficult to get
Felicia to cut a lock from her friend’s dark hair.
Olivia knew Portia would not steal the
girl’s husband
, but it had not been difficult to
suggestively persuade her of such a horrendous reality.
Olivia was so happy. It had gone extremely
well, her best work yet. She rubbed her hands in
satisfaction.
Now I can go back home to my family and friends. It has
been such a long time.
She took the
next train from Rosen Bay and slept all
the way home to Dunville, relaxed and content.